Isla Negra & Pablo Neruda

So I'm a little behind on the blogging, but here's what I've been doing lately.....

Two weekends ago, my friend Elisabeth and I took our first trip in Chile. We went down to Isla Negra and Valparaiso on the coast of Chile. Isla Negra is a tiny little beach town. When we got off the bus there were hardly any people in sight - and it was so great!!! Santiago is so big and crowded so it was nice to get out of that for a bit.


There's not much in Isla Negra, just beaches with huge gorgeous rocks and then little houses and kind of a main area with a few corner store style restaurants. The main atraction is the 2nd house of Chilean's famous poet, Pablo Neruda. He's a pretty big deal around here and his 3 homes are now museums. They are all very different and all built to have the feeling of being on a ship because he loved boats and loved the water. So they are kind of odd layouts with small doors and skinny stairs. One room is completely decorated with statues from the front of ships from all over the world. Unfortunately, I could not take any photos inside, but got to take a lot outside.

This is a shot of his house from the oceanside. It's kind of weird looking, but a lot bigger than this and in a lot more sections.

This is one of my favorite pictures. It's in his "backyard" and I believe it is an old anchor that he bought some where. He was actually a hoarder in life and collected like 50 different things from all over the world.

Views from the backyard. Don't you wish you lived here?
And it was quite windy that day....

Another favorite picture. A boat on land that he sat in and had drinks, because he was actually scared of the water.

Another favorite. I have no idea what this bell tower type thing is, but I thought it was quite interesting and pretty.

Another random sculpture he collected. I love it.

The beach at Isla Negra. After the tour we walked down to the water for a while.

I can't even explain how good to felt to feel salt water splashing on my face! It was freezing and I think it will stay freezing in to the summer, but still so nice to be near water.

Elisabeth and I. The story behind the pineapple is that we came down to Isla with 3 other girls from VE who were just hanging on the beach all day. One of them had brought this pineapple with her to three different places hoping people would eat it and they still had not so she was like the crazy lady with a pineapple at all times. Hence the need to take photos with it, obviously.

Isla Negra is gorgeous..... so far one of my favorite places because it's small and just naturally beautiful. We only stayed for a few hours, but we will definitely be returning soon for the day.
I'll share more on the trip to Valpo tomorrow..... in the mean time here is a little poem by Pablo Neruda called love... and translated in to English.

Amor
Pablo Neruda
Because of you, in gardens of blossoming flowers I ache from the perfumes of spring.

I have forgotten your face, I no longer remember your hands; how did your lips feel on mine?
Because of you, I love the white statues drowsing in the parks, the white statues that have neither voice nor sight.

I have forgotten your voice, your happy voice; I have forgotten your eyes.

Like a flower to its perfume, I am bound to my vague memory of you. I live with pain that is like a wound; if you touch me, you will do me irreparable harm.

Your caresses enfold me, like climbing vines on melancholy walls.
I have forgotten your love, yet I seem to glimpse you in every window.
Because of you, the heady perfumes of summer pain me; because of you, I again seek out the signs that precipitate desires: shooting stars, falling objects.